Method and circuitry for high voltage application with MOSFET technology

Abstract

A method and apparatus for high voltage applications, with the latest MOSFET technology having limited terminal-to-terminal voltage capability, includes a switch circuit having at least two serially coupled MOSFETs and a two-stage MOSFET connection using a plurality of resistors, and/or a bipolar transistor, and a plurality of diodes. One of the high voltage applications is a high speed write driver in a computer disk drive. The switch circuit switches on/off between zero volt and a voltage higher than a maximum terminal-to-terminal voltage of a single MOSFET which is typically five volts. A required voltage in high voltage applications can be in excess of, for example, 8 or 9 volts.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A disk drive write driver switch, comprising at least one pair of MOSFET transistors configured to provide a drive voltage to a write driver for turning the write driver on to generate a voltage greater than the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage for the MOSFET transistors when in an ON state and for turning the write driver off to generate an voltage near zero when in an OFF state, 
       wherein one of the MOSFET transistors is coupled to a power supply, each of the MOSFET transistors having a gate, the gate of a first of the MOSFET transistors set at a first voltage for the OFF state, the first voltage being approximate to the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors and wherein the gate of the first of the MOSFET pair being set to a second voltage for the ON state, the second voltage being set to a value equal to the power supply voltage less the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors.  
     
     
       2. The disk drive write driver switch of  claim 1 , wherein the MOSFET transistors are PFET transistors. 
     
     
       3. The disk drive write driver switch of  claim 1 , wherein the MOSFET transistors are NFET transistors. 
     
     
       4. A disk drive capable of writing data to at least one disk, comprising: 
       at least one write heads capable of writing data to at least the one disk;  
       at least one write driver, at least the one write driver coupled to at least the one write head, and enabling/disabling writing of data to at least the one disk; and  
       at least one write driver switch, the at least one write driver switch further comprising at least one pair of MOSFET transistors configured to provide a drive voltage to a write driver for turning the write driver on to generate a voltage greater than the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage for the MOSFET transistors when in an ON state and for turning the write driver off to generate an voltage near zero when in an OFF state,  
       wherein one of the MOSFET transistors is coupled to a power supply, each of the MOSFET transistors having a gate, the gate of a first of the MOSFET transistors set at a first voltage for the OFF state, the first voltage being approximate to the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors and wherein the gate of the first of the MOSFET pair being set to a second voltage for the ON state, the second voltage being set to a value equal to the power supply voltage less the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors.  
     
     
       5. The disk drive of  claim 4 , wherein the MOSFET transistors are PFET transistors. 
     
     
       6. The disk drive of  claim 4 , wherein the MOSFET transistors are NFET transistors. 
     
     
       7. A method of writing data in a disk drive having at least one write driver coupled to at least one write head for writing data to at least one disk, at least the one write driver coupled to a write driver switch circuit having at least one pair of MOSFET transistors configured to provide a drive voltage to a write driver for turning the write driver on to generate a voltage greater than the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage for the MOSFET transistors when in an ON state and for turning the write driver off to generate an voltage near zero when in an OFF state, comprising the steps of: 
       selecting one of at least the one write driver for writing on a track position of one of at least the one disk;  
       sending a write signal to the respective write driver switch circuit; and  
       switching on the respective switch circuit by setting a gate of a first of the MOSFET transistors at a first voltage for the OFF state, the first voltage being approximate to the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors and setting the gate of the first of the MOSFET pair being set to a second voltage for the ON state, the second voltage to a value equal to a power supply voltage less the terminal-to-terminal breakdown voltage of the MOSFET transistors.